(...continued from homepage!) 

 

I love Boston and Chicago, both full of good people, longstanding tradition, and friendships that stick. But for some strange reason I've lived in San Francisco for 16 years and before that I spent over a decade in NYC. The one thing that both those latter two cities have in common is that they are fickle by nature with a demanding public that speaks its mind. You can barely find a restaurant that has lasted 30 years in either city.  Thus, the achievement of the Exotic Erotic Ball in San Francisco is a true milestone.

I've been to the Exotic Erotic Ball 9 times myself, and I've met a number of great people I'm proud to now call friend. Not to be rude or gruff, but I also once had sex in the bleachers with a platonic female friend and on another occasion got the best blow job of my life in a corridor from someone whose name I never got.  It would be so easy for me to espouse that you should attend this show because it is the wildest and sexiest show around, which it is, but that's not my message here. I am going to take a different tact and call this show unique and special, and tell you that's why you should be there - to experience the truly unique, and to partake of the truly special. In so doing, perhaps you will generate one or more memories which will last you a lifetime.

  

(Pricasso the Penis Painter is coming back to the Exotic Erotic Ball for the second year in a row - all the way from Brisbane, Australia!) 

First, I'll tell you why it's unique. It's a combination of 5 things - you've got tons of sexy on-stage entertainment with real production values, you've got all the funky fashion that comes with Halloween dress-up, and you've got lots of on-site nooks and crannies that get filled with exhibitionism that comes with the oddball way the Cow Palace is shaped and designed. Then you've got all the participation which this event gets from the adult industry - which means porn stars and sexy toys and porn star wannabe's at every turn, and then finally there is the sheer scale of all of this occurring in a setting with over 10,000 people at one time. It's true sensory overload - sights, sounds, and smells bombard you at every turn. And you do the math - where else can you see more hotly dressed sexually liberated fans of freedom in one place? Are all of them hot? No. But they are all real, and they are all happy to be there. And a lot of them are hot, and not just hot, but smoking hot.

And now I'll tell you why it's special and important. As a nation, we've just spent 8 years living under a lying and conniving government who would have no problem denying its constituents even the most basic liberties. Forget what you think of the new administration, because if you are reading this article on this website, you have got to embrace the fact that this new guy is, at minimum, at least not the other guy. The Exotic Erotic Ball has maintained a political consciousness over the years, without standing on a soapbox. They have been irreverent, usually with good humor. I was there when they paid tribute to Larry Flynt for his contribution to freedom and dubbed him as the one man who truly took a bullet for the cause and I felt the chills when they wheeled him in and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. I was there when they conducted mock same sex marriages smack in the face of the failed state-wide proposition and people applauded that too. And I remember the furor that resulted after they issued an uproarious though offensive press release pronouncing that all half-size people would get into the next event for half price. Clearly, Ball founder Perry Mann has never been one to take himself too seriously and yet, he has managed to maintain the Ball's image as a real contributor and leading proponent of personal freedoms. And when you combine that image with the climate of change we are undergoing and the momentousness of the 30^th anniversary, you get a convergence of factors that is not only unique, but "special".

 

Perry Mann (pictured above) gave me a few minutes the other day on the phone. Here's a transcript of that interview:

RC: Thirty years, Perry - that's a long time. Did you think you'd make it this far?

MANN:  No, I did not. When I started the Ball, it was a small party in my apartment to raise money for my friend Louis who was running for President under the Nudist Party. His slogan was "I have nothing to hide". (Laughs) I had no clue what it would become. Over time, as I went through much personal travail, I learned to be grateful for many things. I'm especially grateful to be here for this.

  

RC: Leave it to you to come up with a double entendre for the number 30 with "XXX"!

MANN:  Well, the 30^th Wedding Anniversary is Pearl, so we were sitting around making all these lame pearl necklace jokes, looking for a better marketing hook. As soon as we realized that the Roman Numeral for 30 was XXX, we knew we had it.

RC: The Ball has received so many accolades - and you must have had so many highs. Looking back, what makes you the most proud?

MANN: Unfortunately, some of those "highs" you mention have diminished my capacity to remember. (Laughs) The thing I am most proud about - and this is hard to explain in a few words - is that the Ball hasn't lost its message or its edge despite the growth. I think we've kept a political sensibility without overtly taking a broad position or being overbearing. A lot of people who attend every year see us in a twofold manner - as a giant sexy party, and as a celebration of freedom. I like that.

RC: What about disappointments or regrets?

MANN: My biggest regret is easy - losing my partner Louis tragically in 1995. He would have loved to see this.

RC: What can you tell us about the 30^th Anniversary Exotic Erotic Ball?

MANN: I can tell you that I am pulling out all the stops, we're taking over the entire Cow Palace - the arena and both exhibition halls, and this will absolutely be the show to end all shows. The entertainment focus is partly on sexy groundbreaking stuff, and partly on bringing back the best acts from previous years. But the best and most satisfying part of this is for me is all the people coming from out of town.

RC: Do you encourage people from out of town to attend?  

MANN: Do I encourage it? I love it! That's what makes it an EVENT. We've taken exclusive floors at the local Radisson which is a great property with an indoor pool, so everyone on your floor is going to the Ball and the party begins at the hotel. We put together a $669 VIP ticket and hotel package that covers two people which even includes some spending money - it's the best deal we have ever offered. My partner and I both grew up in the Northeast, you know, so I say what I mean. And not to be immodest, but people know that if I say I'm pulling out the stops for this anniversary, I'm one guy who knows how to do it.

RC: How do you see the future of the Exotic Erotic Ball?

MANN: I don't over-think that. We'll stay true to our roots, not take ourselves too seriously, put on a great show, and remember to give back.

RC: And what about the future of America and the world?

MANN: Does anyone really want my opinion? I can't speak for the world, and I'm not the fearful type so I don't worry about what I cannot control. As for America, I think that pure capitalism is having a rough time, and maybe rightfully so. I like the guy we have in charge now, so let's hope he has answers. I'm just a guy who throws a big sexy party. And my next one is October 24 at the Cow Palace, the one party you do not want to miss!

In closing, the 2009 Exotic Erotic Ball is a unique event celebrating a milestone anniversary, and a special event occurring during a new chapter in our history. Everybody talks about change, but you know how you can tell when you are really in the midst of it? It's when you turn on the TV and you hear things that inspire you to look forward to the future, and you hear things that inspire you to embrace a pleasant throwback to a bygone past - both at the same time.  If you believe in the positivity of sexuality, and the preservation of personal freedoms, the Ball is a microcosm of both, and all signs point to this celebration being one for the ages. Plus, I know Perry's got something special up his sleeve, San Francisco provides the latitude for almost anything, and damned if I'm going to miss out on that!

When you consider the cheap airfares to and from hub cities these days and the package prices being offered by the show, you really do get a value proposition for something of true value here. So I'll see you at the show ... right? And hey, when you see a sort-of handsome guy in a black leather kilt snapping pictures with his Palm, be sure to come by and say hello.

Editor's Note: For tickets and all other details, visit //www.exoticeroticball.com/.

             

Interview with Princess Kali

by Scarlet Apron

For most people, a foot massage is an occasional, luxurious treat. For others, it's a lifestyle. Meet Princess Kali, the kicker behind New England's premier foot fetish parties. An engaging, twenty-eight year old transplant from California, Kali (real name withheld) is a former go-go dancer that has since left her high heeled mark on the east coast erotic scene. As an A-type businesswoman, Princess Kali is on her lacquered toes with a line of videos and a hopping events calendar. Here, her dogs are barking, in a good way.

 

Any early indications that you would be a reigning femdom? 

Many. When I was six, I had what I liked to call "helpers." I lived out in the country in the central valley farm area and grew up around boys. I basically ran circles around them. Whenever we played, it was "Queen of the Army" or "Bitchy CEO." When you look back, this stuff pops up early.

 

For people who don't get it, why feet?

We've been taught that tits, ass and pussy are the key stimulants, but the feet are powerful, too. For some people, the scent and shape of a foot is very sensual, with all those magnificent crannies you can discover with your mouth or nose or fingers. And having a foot massage is a very relaxing experience. For women, who often have a difficult time relaxing, it's perfect. There are lots of nerves that run from the feet to the genitalia, so you're being stimulated at the same time. Men should feel empowered, not just submissive, when they give their partner so much pleasure this way.

 

What goes on at a foot night party?

It's a safe place, by which I mean, non-judgmental. Some guys go to strip clubs and try to worship feet and the girls just don't understand. Foot night is about everyone being there for the same reason. It's where women who enjoy having their feet worshipped meet men who are into sucking toes, so there's this sense of coming home. It's a mix of foot sniffing, licking and kissing, foot worshipping, tickling and trampling.

 

Who attends your parties?

Men of high intelligence and creativity; entrepreneurial types; cleancut, respectful, normal guys.

 

Best part of being domination royalty? 

Just how much fun it is!! I get to play dress up. I get be a princess. I get to ride on human ponies. I get to have men buy me delicious shoes as tributes. And I get to engage with people in a way that they don't get in their outside life. I've had couples say, that for the one hour a month they are with me, it's the one hour they get to be truly themselves. It's an honor to provide that experience.

 

Worst part?

Is dealing with society's misunderstandings and negativity. Ironic, since it's a multibillion dollar industry yet I still have to fight for my right to be a small business that happens to center around adult sexuality.

 

Things you do to relax?

Relax?!! You can't run an empire and relax!  I am too busy conquering the prejudices against sexuality and the sex industry and educating people.

 

Music in your IPod?

I've been listing to hip hop, booty shakin' music like Kanye West, Jem and "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones.  Music you just wanna strut your stuff to!!!!

 

Celebrity you'd like licking your heels?

Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and George Clooney, all at once.

 

Who are your heroes?

Madonna, Gloria Steinem, my mother.

 

Food you can be seduced with?

Dark chocolate and mangoes.

 

Princess Kali will be at the Fetish Fair Fleamarket, February 13-14th with a booth and teaching two workshops; Managing Multiple Submissives and The Lazy Tops Guide to a Creative and Exciting Scene. Check her out at www.PrincessKali.com and //www.kinkpositive.com/. HER NEXT FOOT FETISH PARTY IS MARCH 24TH, MORE INFORMATION GO TO WWW.FOOTNIGHT.COM

If you have any fetish news or events, contact scarlet apron at: www.scarletapron.com or www.myspace.com/scarletapron

    

Interview with SE7EN14, adult fantasy artist

By Scarlet Apron

When I wrote personal ads for a living, I sat in a cubicle someone had covered with the art of H.R Giger. As I tried to help a hysterical Scottish transvestite find that "Special Someone," I'd glance around and mutter, "What kind of twisted mind...." Here's another local version: Meet SE7EN14. Rhode Island School of Design graduate gone gaming illustrator, SE7EN14 (real name withheld) is another alter ego for a talented fantasy illustrator who now accents his terrific monsterific vision with an erotic touch. SE7EN14's canvas simply swarms with bizarre, sensual creatures that seem to celebrate their otherness. His category-defying work is intense, layered and rich with textures: fog, veins, branches, breasts mix with netherworld denizens, moving in and out of shadows, revealed, concealed, to be revealed again. Here, nature, eroticism and the dark side all come out to play. We talked with handsome, blue-eyed, dirty blonde, SE7EN14 to find out what makes it ALIVE! for him.

 

You think growing up on an island influenced your imagination?

I think the isolation of the island influenced me.  There was very little to do as a kid, it was a very safe environment. Not a lot of stimulation, so drawing was one of the things to do to pass time. My father was an artist. My mother's an artist. My family is very creative. There was no choice, that's just what you do. I can remember making drawings of dinosaurs, one of them a big T-Rex and bubble coming out of his mouth saying, "Arhhhhh!!!" My father set an example as an illustrator. I got accustomed to that way of life. I saw books being created. In my early teens, I got interested in role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. Those illustrations really captured my imagination; especially the early ones were very surreal, funky and funny. I would just stare at them. It was really what I wanted to do.

 

How do you create a character unique to you?

I think people really liked how I did monsters, the texture and atmosphere. I like to think of my strength as atmosphere, light and shadow: that it has a changeable air to it. I became known as the guy who does creepy things, drooling monsters with bulging eyes, which is kinda funny because I consider myself a pretty mellow person. I don't even think of them as scary, I think of them as slightly comedic or wondrous.

 

Where did the erotic fantasy art come from?

I started to think of a thousand things I could do. And I just started doodling and started seeing nipples. I try not to think about it too much, just let it come out, channel. The first pieces, I just wanted to throw something on the wall and see how it turned out.

 

How do I feel about this painting with a bunch of breasts?

I was going into uncharted territory. I think it was Leonardo Da Vinci who said, "Art is never finished, it's merely abandoned." Don't turn your back on these illustrations because they're likely to show up in your nightmares.

 

What's up with the multiple penis pictures?

I was getting lots of tentacle porn comments on my work and I started thinking about that. Tentacle porn was done for Japanese anime because they couldn't put in penises so they decided to put these alien phalluses -type things. But I realized I don't have to edit myself. I don't have to do tentacles. I don't have to hide it, so let's see how I feel about this. I'm a straight male. Let's see what happens: will I explode?

 

Did you use a stunt penis?

That one's me (points to a big one in the lower right hand corner).

 

What's a hallmark of your art?

I really like nature and I wanted to incorporate that. I have painted a girl, entwined by roots and she's smiling. So much erotic art, I find, the girl is just screaming and bleeding and her eyes are watering and it's really hateful, misogynistic stuff and that wasn't something that appealed to me. I wanted it to be harmonious, enjoying herself, nude outside which is very liberating, powerful and embracing.

 

How did you get into a show with your hero, Giger?

I heard from a guy who runs a museum in Switzerland, he said that they were doing a show on the theme of (horror writer) H. R. Lovecraft: do I want to be part of it? Of course!!! I've been following his work since I was a teenage. I worked on four pieces for the show. It was a great experience. My work hung right next to H.R Giger's. It was quite an honor.

 

Why the name SE7EN14?

I noticed how much the number 714 came up in my life, so I adopted it as my personal magic number.

 

Music you're listening to?

Right now, Frank Zappa. And Steve Vai. He really revolutionized the way guitars are played. He can bring me to tears. I love guitars, but I'm still an advanced beginner.

 

Book on your nightstand?

"Michael's People" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, it explains this whole system of souls.

 

Food you can be seduced with?

Burritos. Good baked ziti.

 

Check out SE7EN14's art at SE7EN14.com. Contact Scarlet Apron with fetish news and events at myspace.com/scarletapron

 

Interview with Angela Ryan ~ By Scarlet Apron

Once a staple of foot lockers and dive bombers, sexy pin-ups are making a big comeback.  But today's calendar girl is more than a pair of legs that lead to heaven, they have talent, drive and a style all their own.   Embodying the new breed of glamour gals is fetish model and burlesque performer, Angela Ryan.  A native of Texas, her stunning looks got her started, but it's her creativity and business savvy that has fans and photogs coming back for more.   Here we talk to the blue-eyed, red headed dynamo from her home in Dallas about being the center fold of attention.

 

Any early indications you'd grow up to be a famous pin-up?

I used to go to dance recitals and my mom always made sure I was dressed to the nines. And she took tons of photos of me.  She used to call me her ‘little porcelain doll.'  Plus, I modeled when I was younger which is why I'm pretty comfortable in front of a camera. 

 

First taste of fetish?

My first fetish shoot was with a friend of mine.  He asked me to pose for some pictures, so the first shoot I did ended up being a bondage shoot, which was fine.  I was totally into it.  It went really well and I had a good time.  Then I started a yahoo group and that got me other offers from around the country for shoots.  I just ran with it.

 

What makes you stand out from other models?

I have the bright red hair; I think that catches people's attention.  Also, I think because I'm still around, that helps.  Lots of girls do it as a hobby and then they lose interest.  You can't expect things to fall into your lap. It's a job and you've got to keep at it.  Also, it's in the attitude.  If you're not into it, it will show in your eyes. You have to want to do it; otherwise it won't be any good.

 

Biggest on stage flub?

I was headlining the Tampa Erotic Ball and everything that could go wrong -did.  I was wearing a metal bikini and my hair was in a mohawk.  First, my music started off too low, and then a prop fell over on stage. Then my bra broke.  Then I fell down and I didn't realize that my shoe broke, so I tried to get up and I fell on my face, again. Full on, really bit it.  A bench I was supposed to sit on was covered with champagne from the last girl and I slid right off it.  At the end, I was just laughing and the audience was cheering me on; they were pretty cool about it.  I managed to finish the performance.  I just threw glitter everywhere and ran off stage. I was mortified afterward.  I thought, ‘I'm glad I got that show out of the way, I don't have to worry about anything that horrific happening again.' (laughs).

 

Tell us about your new and improved boobs.

I love my new boobs; I am very very happy with them.  I didn't get them for a long time because every told me not to. They said: You should be happy with your body.  But in the back of my head, I wanted them and couldn't really talk myself out of wanting them.  So finally, I had the opportunity and the money and I went for it.  I went from a 34A to a 34D which looks very natural on me.  And as far as burlesque goes, now I feel like I actually have something to reveal.

 

What are some of your kinks?

I love latex.  I love corsets, stockings, high heels, and am big into shoes.  I also really like encasement.  I'm a little bit of a foot fetishist, on the top end of it.  And I do enjoy light SM bondage, on the bottom end of it.

 

What do you do to relax?

When I'm in Dallas, that's my downtime.  Relaxing to me is just sitting around doing nothing.  I'm lazy.  I'll watch TV.  And, I know this sounds weird, but every Monday night, a big group of my friends and I go to a bingo hall.

 

Book on your nightstand?

Nothing right now, I'm so busy, but I like Tom Robbins and Kurt Vonnegut.

 

Music you're listening to?

I like Rasputina, Jane's Addiction, The Cramps, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, IMx.

 

Food you can be seduced with?

Macaroni and cheese

 

Catch Angela Ryan at the Variant Ball, Saturday, September 20^th.  Details at //www.sinomatic.net.   Check out her website with videos, blogs and more at //www.angelaryan.net/. Contact Scarlet Apron at //www.myspace.com/scarletapron.

Interview with Sheila Rae of Eros Boutique
by Scarlet Apron

Gumby aside, those who really love latex know where to go to satisfy their sexy elastic longings.  In Boston and South Beach, the choice is Eros Boutique. What makes Eros different from other fetish emporiums is their stock: not only the latest kinky fashion and novel naughty toys, but they also carry an unparalleled selection of heavy duty, hardcore, industrial strength rubber wear: the biggest on the East Coast, in fact.  Behind all the pervy goods is high-energy propriatrix, Sheila Rae.  Here the bright smiling, fast talking, Jersey gal and one-time exotic dancer tells us how she made her rubber business balloon.

 

What got you into rubber, so to speak?

I started as a bartender at King Arthur's Lounge in Everett, Massachusetts.  Right after the famous shooting there, so there was a job opening, though I couldn’t make drinks.  Then I applied to the Naked Eye Cabaret.  I was young and figured, ‘Sure, I can get naked and dance-that’s easy.’  Eight years later, I was still there, but then they closed.  I thought, ‘Oh, gosh!  I need a job!’  So in 1993, I opened Eros Boutique.  I figured it would be the perfect way to stay in the business.  I took over an existing store, Innovations in Leather, and made it more upscale and changed the inventory to rubber because nobody on the East Coast was selling it.  It was purely a business decision.  I asked myself, ‘What isn’t anybody doing?’ The answer was rubber.

 

Was it a stretch to learn the rubber biz?

I can tell you, it’s a very specialized market.  It took a long time to figure out who our clients were and what they needed.  Also, since we import everything from Europe, we had to figure out customs’ regulations.  It took a good six months before I really understood the whole rubber thing. 

 

What lines do you carry?

We carry Skin Two, Regulation of London and House of Harlot because they’re top brands. They each offer something different. Skin Two makes basic fetish club wear, clothing and cat suits.  Regulation, the most respected label for rubber bondage gear offers body bags and vacuum bags.  House of Harlot specializes in costume and uniform-themes like school girl, nun and nurse outfits.  Nobody, not even in New York, carries all three lines.  Plus, we stock a warehouse, so you can come in, order and have it in two days.  We have a great relationship with our suppliers, so we get the newest and most interesting fashions coming out of Europe.

 

How has your cliental changed over the years?

We’ve actually changed.  We don’t really stock too much mainstream rubber anymore.  We carry the heavy rubber.  The people who are into it really know what they want.  They’re very knowledgeable.  We basically just have to help them with sizing.  Out clients are mostly businessmen, ages 40 to 60, with high pressure jobs.  For them it’s a great release, an outlet to de-stress themselves.  It’s a fetish, they need rubber.  They love the smell, the feel, how they feel in it.

 

Why did you open a store in South Beach?

I’d often go there on vacation, so I was looking for a way to combine work and fun.  There are some great fetish shops that sell club rubber, but not the inflatable gags and hoods and stuff we sell.  We took over and revamped an existing adult video store and made it very techno, silver, red, purple, black with fabulous lights because South Beach is all about lights.  And we brought in more unique line.  That was six years ago and we’re doing better than we ever expected.  We get a lot of wives, who come in when their husbands are attending a convention.  They’re really cute; they’ll say, ‘We normally wouldn’t come to a store like this, but we figured, we’re in South Beach, let’s give it a try!’

 

What are styles specific to South Beach?

Well, we get the boys coming in here, who always look fabulous, so we carry lots more colored latex than back in Boston.  And more leather, like the little boy lace-up shorts and tops.  We’re right on the beach, so we have to go with the flow.

 

Tell us about your affiliate program

It’s for people who want to open their own adult store, but don’t have the money to stock it with existing inventory or maybe they have an existing store, but want to expand their line.  We’ll process their orders, do everything for them and they’ll get a percentage of the sale.  It’s a win/win situation for everyone.

 

Best thing and worse thing about running an erotic boutique?

The worse thing, honestly, is when I bump into one of my customers in the elevator of my building (laughs).  It becomes a little awkward…. The best thing is –it’s a fun business.  There’s always something interesting going on.  You hear great stories. You get new ideas.  But it can be tough.  People always think, “Oh, you get to party with porn stars.”  In reality, we never leave the building.

 

What’s your best seller?

Our heavy gauge rubber slave top.  It has a hood with a breathing tube and comes with bondage mitts, so basically, you’re totally enclosed.  You can pair it with shorts and it’s reasonably priced since it’s not a whole cat suit.  Also, we currently have a great selection of pink colored items, perfect for the summer.  Latex panties, cuffs, collars, you name it, all in gorgeous shades of pink. 

 

Celebrity purchases we need to know about?

Well, of course, there was Madonna’s choosing her equestrian props from us for the spread in W Magazine.  Martin Lawrence’s assistant came in a while back and bought six pairs of high-heeled boots for him.  We had Julia Roberts in the South Beach store a few years ago, picking up some goodies.  In Boston, Peter Wolf bought some restraints.  Jennifer Aniston bought a cat suit for a movie she was filming.  The folks from Boston Ballet bought masks.  You’d be surprised who comes in here and why.

 

What do you do to relax?

Oh, I’m easy.  I’m a mom, so just give me a day in the playground.  I get all my thrills from work, so when I’m not working, I don’t need clubs or anything.

 

Food you can be seduced with?

Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.

 

 

Check out Eros Boutique at 581A Tremont Street, Boston, MA or online at www.erosboutique.com.  When in Florida, head to 1059 Collins Street, Unit 207. South Beach, FL. 

 

Contact Scarlet Apron with fetish news and events at myspace.com/scarletapron or scarletapron@yahoo.com

 

Michael DiCarlo, fetish promoter
by Scarlet Apron*

‘180 degrees’ defines Michael DiCarlo, the creative fuel behind two of Boston’s hottest monthly club events: fetish fete Sin-O-matic, and Shelter, a DJ-centric, industrial/goth minded gathering. At night, you’ll find him setting the place on fire with excitement.  But by day, he’s busy putting out rogue infernos as good guy firefighter. Smolderingly handsome, fit and with boundless energy, the 34-year-old, North Shore native has been stoking alternative venues on both coasts, making it look easy.You’ll find DiCarlo, well-done in black PVC and eyeliner, in the back office of Machine, working out the kinks of keeping local lifestyle enthusiasts entertained. That’s where we caught up with him for a few questions on just how hot is it?

What was it like growing up?
I had a stereotypical background of a white picket fence. My dad was a firefighter. My mom worked at the telephone company in Revere. I went to Malden Catholic High School.

Any early indications you’d be managing A-list freaks in edgy outfits?
I guess it was always a dream growing up. In my early twenties, I started going to Manray and it was great. I saw what was going on, absorbed it all, then I moved to LA for a while. There was a place out there called “Sinematic,” a spoof on cinema since it was LA.  I got a little background in club life, came back here, walked into Manray and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to run a night.’ They said, “Come back with a proposal.”  So I wrote up one for a night called “Flesh.” A little over a year after, I split from Manray.  Before it closed, I went to all the different clubs in Boston and I found the best, nicest club that had the slowest business, and I started the VI Fetish Party and then transformed into Sin-O-matic.   felt the scene really needed more than one night. It was Manray on Friday or you just wouldn’t go out in fetish wear.

What was the concept behind Flesh?
I wanted to create a player-friendly environment where there was more crowd interaction and entertainment.  A place we could call home.

Best and worst part of the job?
It’s a lot of work.  It’s a lot of hours, a lot of stress and pressure.  You have to constantly reach a certain point and if you have a bad night, everyone will tell you what you’re doing wrong and how to do it right, even if they’ve never run a night before.  But when you have a great night, everything is great!

How has the club scene changed in even ten years?
People’s mindset was Manray Manray Manray: That was the only way to do anything.  I try to do something a little bit different here. I loved Manray and I have great memories, but I wanted to change it up, give it a different presentation. Manray had been around for a long, long time.  Our nights took some time to build; we had to start from nothing.  It was very difficult.   

Describe Shelter?
Shelter is an animal of a different color. Shelter is an industrial-themed music night where we import a different DJ each month from all over New England.  We have one resident DJ, Punketta and she alternates split shifts with the imported DJ each month. There is no dress code for this event, although the crowds from Sin-O-matic overlap and most people choose to still dress extravagantly (but there is no mandatory dress code for Shelter).

What does it take to make a great fetish night?
Two things: First, dress code.  We do not allow people, on a fetish night, that are not at least in all black.  There’s a quote I love (I wish I could remember who said it), “It doesn’t matter who you are or how much money you have, you are only judged here by how you dress.”  It makes people feel very comfortable and very safe.  Second thing is building a tight-knit community.  Having a place that feels like family -a dysfunctional family- but a family.

Upcoming attractions?
We’re running a large fetish event, the 3rd Annual Variant Ball, September 20th, 2008.  It’ll be headlined by Angela Ryan, a fantastic fetish personality, as well as an outstanding burlesque performer.  We’re putting together a venue to knock socks off. There will be several performances and we are importing some great DJs for the night, like DJ Curse Mackey, formerly of Thrill Kill Kult, Pigface and Evil Mothers, as well as DJ Xris Smack, the promoter of Smack, a yearly fetish event in New York City.  Plus, lots of local talented personalities.  We have a great thriving scene in Boston full of amazing people.

Tell us about your day job?
I’m a fire fighter by trade. My father was a firefighter.  My uncle was a firefighter.  It’s a great career.  I work two days a week, twenty-four hour shifts.  I just juggle back and forth running the night club.  I spend lots of time at the gym.  As a firefighter, you have to be in peak physical condition.  It’s very tenacious work being in a fire or rescue situation, so I try to stay very physically fit.

What do you think of the TV show “Rescue Me”?
It’s very entertaining, it’s slightly factual.

Animals in your life?
I have three ferrets, Ezra, Mongo and Sophie.  I’ve had them a long time.

Drink of choice?
Vitamin Water.

CD in your CD player?
Combichrist.

Favorite toy?
My Mac.

Heroes?
My dad.

Food you can be seduced with?
Ice cream.

Find out more about Sin-O-matic at www. sinomatic. net and Shelter at www. bostonshelter. net.

*Contact Scarlet Apron at scarletapron@yahoo.com or myspace.com/scarletapron with fetish news and events.

 

 

 

Interview with Mistress Didi

Part two
by Scarlet Apron

What can new subs expect to go through serving you?

I give an interview followed by a testing process, which lasts approximately three months when you are physically available to me on a weekly basis.  My testing requirements change dependent upon a sub’s availability and abilities.  I don’t waste my valuable time training someone to be a perfect submissive until I see they are worthy of my invaluable skills, which is determined by how well they are able to accomplish the tasks I set them to.  I design each potential submissive’s tasks to address their abilities and test their limits to show them – and me – how they are able to rise to the occasion.  I always include tasks that are not what one expects, such as the usual cleaning chores, but which stimulate the submissive’s creative and thinking processes.  I create tasks within their means and fetishes, which creates great enjoyment for me in my own personal evolution as well.  My testing period is in itself a training process which offers a path of self-growth and evolution, if the submissive is intelligent enough to recognize and appreciate this, whether I accept them into my service or not.   I always work within a person’s financial means – I don’t want to cause damage by upsetting anyone’s life needs.  We all “work hard for the money” and I have absolutely no respect for a submissive who will deny her or his family to accommodate my desires.  I particularly have no respect for a dominant who would demand that kind of sacrifice from a submissive.  That’s just plain ghoulish behavior and completely unacceptable.  I believe in rewards rather than punishments for behavior.  I don’t want to break the sub.  I want the sub to submit to me willingly.  When they are good, we both enjoy things they enjoy; when they displease me, they suddenly find themselves “without” – without play, without socialization, without every and anything that attracted them to me and my domain in the first place.  I desire a submissive who is totally devoted to me being comfortable and happy, because when I’m happy everyone is happy, when I’m not happy, no one’s happy.

 

Worse scene offense?

To take a sub who hasn’t been released from his or her mistress, even to play with them, because that is disrespectful of someone’s property.  Every other dom will snub you and you won’t be forgiven.  People will hold that against you forever.

 

When you train a sub, what roads blocks do you come up against?

There was a female sub who would never come over to me and she finally told me why.  She said, “I think I wouldn’t be beautiful enough for you.” because of my whole fitness lifestyle.  I was so hurt because women don’t realize that we are beautiful in every way.  That’s that.  Men, it’s a different story.   They think they can look anyway and do anything.  And we’re supposed to be Barbie dolls to them and should be thrilled that they want to be in our presence.  The road blocks are physical, mental and emotional, self-imposed restrictions.  I train submissives to navigate through and around them towards healthy and happy goals.  When subs come up against blocks, because I am a therapist, we sit down and discuss it and use techniques and homework to work through the limitations towards the true joy of service, and in particular, the joy of service to me.

 

 

What’s an example of a road block and some corrective homework?

We’re having this conversation at the perfect time.  A few years ago, a male wanted to sub to me and would not recognize that he needed to come to the fact that he was really a dominant personality -- and he wouldn’t be a good dom, either, because he wants everything to be done according to his pictures of what doming should be.  He was instructed to call me at 7 o’clock everyday, whether I spoke to him or not.  To show him his nature, I would speak to him two days in a row and then, let three days would go by without speaking to him.  So, he decided to begin skipping days, giving the reason that since he could not speak with me, he thought I didn’t mean for him to call every day.  I am very clear in my specific instructions and mean what I command.  When I told him, I will speak to you when I want to speak to you and you are to call daily, period,” he threw a hissy-fit-temper-tantrum.  Note:  If I raise my voice, you’re dismissed.  I made him see the reality that when he couldn’t have what he wanted, that he tried to find a way to punish me with bad behavior.  The next step was to begin the process of identifying the causes of his behavior to bring him to the revelation of what he truly desired.  We began with the question of “What do you think caused this behavior?” and continued through that process so that he could see he was topping from the bottom.  He did not expect the training process to lead to a goal of letting go of his expectations and learning to trust.  I had bets going on how long he was going to last.  He lasted seven weeks.  Recently, he sent me an email thanking me for helping him to begin on the path to finding his true nature as a dominant.  That was nice and rather evolved of him.

 

Advice for young doms/dominas just getting started?

First, make a list of why you want to be a dominant; why you need to be one.  Think of what being a dominant is going to give you.  Then, look at that list and really think about everything on it.  Are your expectations realistic?  Will this make you happy?  What will these things bring to your life?  Second, get out, ask questions and introduce yourself to other dominant females, as many as you can, because you need a good strong base of what it is to be a fem dom before you can start hanging out with male doms.  Far too many male dominants think that every woman wants to sub to them.   They’re rude and disrespectful and always an asshole in some way.  There are very few male doms that are super cool and I usually attract them to me.  It’s about respect and that usually begins at home with a good mother.  The next thing about new doms, no matter what you want to do, learn technique, read, take classes, take workshops, have personal sessions, learn some psychology, learn first aid, do whatever you need to do to be safe, sane and able to play in a consensual manner.

 

Just how intimidated is the average Joe by you?

They are not intimidated.  They think they’re going to top me, every single one of them.  I think it has to do with my size, I’m very petite.  If I never said I was a dom, they would probably be subbing to me left and right.  If you tell them you’re a dom, then they’re fascinated and they think “I’m going to show her, I’m a man!”  And they can’t compete.  I have very little patience for stupid men and too many of them are “below-average-Joes”!

 

Let’s get back to the scene at the funeral….

The deceased was very cool, had the coolest wife ever, and she actually honored his request that I do a strip tease and a trampling.  That’s how I met him originally.  I was partying at a club where everyone stripped for a contest to win $1000 dollars.  So, I did a strip tease and then a trampling scene on one of his friends, who also offered himself for this final farewell.  It was a tribute and that’s going to stay in my mind forever because between the looks of horror on the vanilla people’s faces and the looks of total appreciation on the fetish people’s faces, it was like something out of a sci-fi movie.  It was very befitting to honor him that way.

 

What is the Classic Fetish™ Philosophy?

Classic Fetish™ is the appreciation of the passion of power-at-play expressed in ways that allow you to get in touch with that deepest part of yourself that makes life feel exciting, vibrant, worth living, complete.  This appreciation is represented by the best inside of you, which you share with the utmost respect for the players in the scene.  Fetish can save the world, I believe that.  We could save people from blowing each other up, killing each other and everything if we would just learn to be comfortable with our self-expression.  Our world doesn’t allow you to express yourself because everyone makes you wrong no matter what you do.  Why is it wrong to like pain? Why is it wrong to inflict it as an art?  If we stop judging self-expression, we’ll have more time for self-appreciation and the appreciation of the expressions of other people.  And then we won’t find reasons to make war and kill each other, we’ll find reasons to make art and heal each other.

 

Your apartment is on fire, what do you grab first?

My dog.  Absolutely.  He’s a miniature pincher and a certified service dog.   I trained service dogs (for people with disabilities) for a while but had to stop because I wanted to keep them all.

 

What’s your favorite toy?

Oh, I love knife play, but favorite toy du jour is my raw hide cane.  I had a favorite hemp flogger and you know? Some idiot tried to smoke it!

 

Celebrity you’d like to dom?

There are so many…. I was gonna say Brad Pitt, but I would probably kill him over what he did to Jennifer Aniston.   Denzel Washington…. OH BABY!  But I wouldn’t dom him, that’s just not him.  Helen Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp.  Good God Almighty!!! I want to tie that boy up, spank him and lick him like a lollypop.  And you know who else? (Didi goes into detail for about five minutes on the celebs she’d like to dominate) …Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep.  Ok, that’s all.

 

Book on your nightstand?

The complete collection of Philip K. Dick.   And I just finished, for about the tenth time, Machiavelli’s The Prince.  Very important book for doms.

 

CD in your CD player?

Oh God, I have over 500 CDs. I love music.  John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.

 

Places you hang out?

The Baroness’ Fetish Retinue, Bloomingdales.  I love high tea or a nice piano or hotel bar.

 

Something people wouldn’t guess about you?

I cry at movies.  I cry at everything.  I am the biggest water works in the world.

 

Food you can be seduced with?

Chocolate and good champagne.

 

Your motto?

Don’t start none, won’t be none.



For more information, go to www.classicfetish.org.

*Contact Scarlet Apron at scarletapron@yahoo.com or myspace.com/scarletapron with fetish news and events.

 

Interview with Mistress Didi, fetish therapist
By Scarlet Apron*

With a tongue sharp as a whip, sultry beauty and A+ smarts, instruction from Mistress Didi is no session as usual.  Empowered by the healing arts and her storied history as a private BDSM practitioner, the energetic native New Yorker is now concentrating on revitalizing NYC’s fetish and cross dressing scene with her classes, events and videos, such as Classic Cross Dresser™ Conservatory and Classic Fetish™ Therapy.  Not one to suffer dunces or apple-polishers easily, Mistress Didi aims to educate a new generation of subs, doms, kinksters-of-all-feathers in old school skill and etiquette.  nsightful and engaging, here we find the Party Domme at home, ready with a few well-learned lessons.  

Life as a child?
I grew up in a family of lots of women and artists which is why I’m a feminist and artist.  My mom was very political and I loved growing up marching on Washington in a time when people actually cared and marching mattered.

First inkling of kink?   
It was in kindergarten.  This little boy was annoying me and I have very little patience for those creatures, so I said to him, “You know, you need a spanking.”  And he said, “Oh yah? Well, why don’t you give me one?”  So, I spread him into position against the wall and told him to stay.  You know those paddle balls?  I pulled the ball off and just whacked him on his behind.  He was shocked.  I whacked him again and he totally got into it.  The kindergarten teacher watched for a minute before coming over and saying, “OK, we can’t play like that here.” 

How and when did you go pro domme?
I was in college.  I went to a party in a very bad mood and this guy came over and said, “I love your boots, may I kiss them?” I said, “You may lick the bottoms of my soles, but don’t slobber on my leather.”  He decided he was totally in love with me and I made him buy me and my friends drinks all night.  It turned out he was a CEO of a very high-powered corporation and he had friends and they all wanted to have the same domme so they could play.   So, for a very long time I had the same seven submissives.   When I did anything professional, quote unquote, it was a performance and all very private.  They even flew me to Monaco to do a scene at a funeral at the request of the deceased.

Whoa…
That is how the world used to be.  People offered me tributes for sessions.  It’s not like I got $200 an hour, my tribute was a trip to the Caribbean.  They came down, we played, and I stayed on the rest of the week.  They went back and gave me spending money.  And now with the hoochies and the sleaze-ification of pro domination and BDSM in the media and mainstream, I am not to be considered a pro domme.  I will not playing that way.  That’s not playing, that’s sex trade.  And I have no problems with the sex trade people; just don’t call yourself a domme because you’re not a domme. They are sex workers.  They don’t have technique and they don’t have training.  They have no clue.

Where did you get your clue?
I grew up as a dancer and I’ve studied the body my whole life.  I’ve always been fascinated by what makes people tick.  I’ve studied acupressure, acupuncture, all kinds of healing therapies.  That was my other life.  Suddenly, I realized there’s a fine line between pleasure and pain and crossing it thrills me.  I’m a Libra, so I have two sides that co-exist and we’re in a symbiotic relationship.  This confuses people because I’ll beat them, but then I’ll give them a cold remedy.  I believe the BDSM lifestyle is a healing therapy and it helps people evolve.   

You do a lot of community outreach, what’s your mission?
I want to change three things.  First, people don’t understand that BDSM is not sexual deviance. The dom/sub lifestyle isn’t about someone lacking something inside of themselves.  It’s about accepting oneself fully, exploring your self-acceptance and allowing yourself to evolve from that place further into self-love.  The kink is the icing on the cake of your self-love and acceptance.   Second, I want to dynamically present education to clear up the ignorance around the dom/sub relation.  People outside of the scene know nothing about it.  What’s worse is how many lazy people in the scene don’t bother to educate themselves either and then hurt other uneducated individuals.  Folks think subs are people with a history of abuse.  We know that isn’t true.  The third, really annoying thing is all these kinksters coming into the scene who actually believe they are gifted fetishists.  They offer nothing; are all about their own hype; try to top from the bottom; have no training; no concept of social grace; are obnoxious and in desperate need of attention.  The vast majority of these people are cheating on their relationships.  They claim they want to be subs, but they don’t go home to their wives to share this part of themselves.  They think their significant other won’t go for it.  First of all, you don’t ever actually know what another person is going to say.  To think that you do is your fantasy and not necessarily the reality.  I’ve trained people how to go home and slowly break their partners into the lifestyle.  My vision is that people won’t have to hide anything anymore.

What’s Classic Fetish™ Therapy?  How do you fix people?
I don’t look at it as fixing and broken.  I look at it as evolution.  We can’t be stagnant beings, just dying inside, like walking zombies.  But look at corporate America, that’s what you’ve got.  They go to a horrible job they hate, come home, deal with the family they didn’t really want in the first place but that they have from obeying social and religious conditioning.  They sit in front of the TV, eating crap and get up the next day to do it all over again.  Fetish is an outlet for creativity. Most people don’t know they have creative ways to express themselves.  If you let yourself have that thrill and be OK that you’re into it, the behavior takes on a different form than that of a taboo.  You’re not making yourself wrong for having this thrill, you’re making yourself right for owning your enjoyment of it and, of course, accepting responsibility to enjoy it safely. And the more you affirm yourself, the better person you become and that’s how fetish works, because it’s an affirming lifestyle.   You become a better person, which is going to benefit the world

How do you prepare for a scene? 
I’m actually an empath.  I connect with the lucky person who I allow to play with me and sense their energies.   I allow an energy transference of my energy into theirs and their energy into mine by teaching them to synchronize their breathing with mine.  It’s kind of like channeling; I’m always conscious of what it is that I want to do while being so connected to that person, it’s almost as if they are feeding to me where my kink can go and how far I can push their limits without damaging their psyche.  That’s thrilling to me and thrilling to them.  When I sense that a person is so shut down that they are not receptive to my energy, I won’t play with them.

How does being black effect your ideas of domination?
Interesting you should ask that.  It’s a quandary, in a way.  People have different expectations of you based on income or religion or size.  That’s the way it is.  As a black domme, I get a lot of crap from black women.  I get a lot of crap from white women.  I get a lot of crap from black men.  I get a lot of crap from white men.  I just get a lot of crap, in general, when people have certain ideas about a black woman and I don’t fit their stereotypes.  They choose to assume I’m one of those hoochies in the sex trade who’s gonna hang someone upside down and kill them.  But, that’s their fantasy; not my reality.  If they weren’t so lazy, they’d read about me on my website.

What do you enjoy about helping men effeminize?
I like to refer to it as ‘blossoming’ and getting in touch with the woman within because what I do is not a forced thing.   My process is something they allow themselves to experience.  It’s a beautiful, evolutionary process. Why should women have all the fun with hair, make-up, lingerie and all those joys?  There’s nothing better than being a woman.

Part two to follow.

For more information on Mistress Didi go to www.PartyDomme.com

*Contact Scarlet Apron at scarletapron@yahoo.com or myspace.com/scarletapron with fetish news and events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

photo courtesy of Mike Wood
 

Interview with Latex Lily, promoter

By Scarlet Apron*

From catechism in the Bronx to a Cambridge barroom full of rubberized hotties, Latex Lily has bloomed into one lovely flower powerhouse.  A petite, energetic fixture of the Boston area goth/fetish scene since the sorely missed days of Manray, Lily (real name withheld), 27, of Latex Lily Productions has been running some of the best alternative nights in New England.  Her venues include XMortis, a monthly dance and performance event; Night of the Dolls, an equally unusual cabaret of edgy fashion and strong drinks; and Dead Pool, haunting billiard antics for those who like to be behind the eight ball. Passing the dark tiara to a new generation of undead darlings, Lily was also the smarts behind the past two The Miss Gothic Massachusetts Pageants. Plus, she also performs at Smack!, a fetish-themed event in New York. With 2000 plus friends on her myspace page and three current club nights to incarnate, where does she find the time to be so organized, spooky-eyed and adorable?  Let’s dig deep and ask her.

What was it like growing up?
My dad was a New York City cab driver, my mother was a kindergarten teacher. I went to Catholic School and I remember I was just a little kinky, definitely had an interest in bondage as young as six. I remember having thoughts and the older I got, I realized, it’s OK to think like that. I read an article that said people who are into the lifestyle are pretty normal and healthy for expressing themselves. 

Why did you leave the Bronx for Boston?
I came to Boston University to study psychology and graduated in 2000. 

What about people’s minds gets you going?
It was just always an interest of mine -the particular way people are drawn to certain things, especially kink aspects. You start to think: Is there something wrong with me?  Is it different?  It is special?  Why does this excite me? And yet I’m OK. 

How did you get into the fetish scene?
It was during college when I became more comfortable with going out to the nightclubs by myself. I had already been doing the goth thing in NYC as a teenage, so the fetish thing was the next step. I remember I’d just bought a black latex (Edit: PVC) trench coat and I was dying to wear it out. It was when Hex was open downtown, I went by myself.  I was sooo scared, I was shaking in my boots and practically ran out.  

So you got used to being a freak by night? How did the shows start?
Before XMortis and Night of the Dolls, there used to be a night called Hell at Manray, run by Cusraque, a friend of mine.  So, I used to help him for Hell. I learned a lot. I definitely took the next step and I give him homage. And I used to be a Fantasy Factory dancer and performer. At some point, I was on that stage almost every single Friday. And this was before I started my own night!  Now, I work with Patrick Fitzgerald on these nights. He is my partner and he designs the flyers, helps me hire talent and deal with the general running of the club.

Best part about running goth/fetish events?
I love working with other people.  I’ve worked with people like Blackcat Burlesque and Shaun K., who used to do the B&D Balls. He had an idea for a gothic fashion show, “Fashion Victims.”  I thought it was a great. We worked together, finding the models and the designers. I even got on the cover of The Boston Globe wearing one of the outfits.  t was a big night!  The best part is, knowing that I’m still doing stuff people like.  People say to me ‘I like this’ or ‘Thanks for putting it on.’  You still get thanked. People loved Manray so much and it’s still giving them a place to wear outfits and hear music. It’s a big deal to a lot of people. It is to me.

Worst part?
Sometimes you get criticism on stuff you can’t help. Like, ‘I don’t like the way this one performance went.’  I’m, like, I know!! (anguished tones). Or ‘This person was really mean to me at the club.’  Oh, owh, I’m sorry!!!  I can’t do anything about it.  One of the worst ones, was when we didn’t have coat check people and all the coats fell down because there were so many people, it was February, hanging their coats. I was like, ‘Ahhh!!!’

Contrast New York City with the Boston latex scene?
New York recently had a weird scattering. The Bank closed and then the Batcave, so they had their own world turned over, so they’re at the same stage we are. They have weekly and monthly events down there, but many of them are smaller or similarly sized to TT’s.  And they have special events that are larger than we have here, like a great night called Contempt or the wonderful Smack! party.  It’s kind of on either end, but I think it’s more consistent in Boston.  And people actually dress up a lot more here, you wouldn’t think, they really do dress up more here.

 Your sexuality is very much upfront, what sort of messages did you get growing up about what it meant to be a woman?
My mother was sort of a prude and my grandmother was sort of a snob. They each taught me that a woman’s sexuality was a very important aspect of her humanity and could be downplayed or played up. My grandmother taught me that being feminine was not the same as being weak.  Femininity and sexuality can be strong and purposeful aspects to a woman. My mother was more of a tomboy feminist. She taught me that a woman has choices. So while the two teachings were different…they very much meshed together into the final person I ended up being.There is nothing weak or wrong with femininity… ne can have a commanding presence… and feminism is just an attempt by women to have more choices. I would never look down upon a man for his gender (sex)… unless he wanted me to. 

What’s you day job?
I work for a cancer center, but I’m not going to give out the name.

Obsessions/Hobbies?
I love horror movies; I love the Hell Raiser series.

You have a minor in archeaology, care to lay a weird archeological fact on us?
Hatshepsut was the only female pharaoh.

Favorite toy?
I have a beautiful metal dildo.  I love metal things and it’s this beautifully curved, little thing, like a shiny sword.

Name your poison?
Zombie.

CD in your CD player?
Anything Depeche Mode works for me.

Book on your night stand?
100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

Turn-ons?
Nice hair.

Celebrity you want to get into latex?
Michelle Pfeiffer because I liked her so much as Catwoman.

Are Mom and Dad proud?
Yes, of both aspects of me, actually, of the college graduate, the day job and the night job.  They love the fact that their daughter, kinky as she may be, gets to do a whole lot of stuff she loves. 

Food you can be seduced with?
Chocolate.

Check out Latex Lily’s Birthday Bash, XMortis Apocalypse, April 11th at TT the Bears in Cambridge.  Find information at myspace.com/morbidiqua. Night of Dolls comes to TT’s April 25th, info at myspace.com/nightofthedolls.

*Contact Scarlet Apron at scarletapron@yahoo.com or myspace.com/scarletapron with fetish news and events.

Interview with Scratch of The Boston Babydolls

By Scarlet Apron*
Sure, everyone wants to run a burlesque troupe, with visions of gorgeous, scantly clad girls, scarlet hilarity and endless applause.  But there’s more grind to the bump that meets the eye.  Enter Scratch, founder, manager and MC of the lively Boston Babydolls.  A native New Yorker, Scratch (not his real name, duh) entered New England by way of Boston University in the 1980s and stayed to become an onstage and backstage fixture in the theater and club scene.  Here, we talk to the handsome, hardworking guy in the red suit who keeps all those tassels twirling.

 
What got you hooked on burlesque?
I saw Gypsy on Broadway when I was a kid, but it didn’t make an impression.  I think I came to burlesque through various old traditions.  I studied and performed comedia dell’arte, which is the Shakespearean-era great, great, great, great grandmother of burlesque.  I love scripted acting, but I like to write my own material, too and I don’t particularly like doing straight ahead stand-up comedy.  Burlesque has a mix of everything – music, dance, variety acts – and I find that mixture very appealing.  And burlesque has beautiful women, of course... and that makes everything better.

 
How did The Boston Babydolls form?
Miss Mina, the co-founder, and I knew each other from way back.  She taught strip tease and burlesque at private parties and needed a driver/stagehand/director.  We got pretty good at it together and were making OK money for two people working part-time.  Then, we booked a 35 minute show and you can’t do a 35 minute burlesque show as just one dancer.  So, we invited our friend, Betty Blaize, who was a Middle Eastern dancer to join in.  I MC’d and did some comedy and magic, Mina did burlesque, and Betty belly-danced, which gave Mina time to change for her next number.  When it was over, we thought, “That was a lot of fun, but if we want to do this seriously, we need a troupe”.  We held auditions, contacted a few people we knew and invited them to join, and the rest – as they say – is history.

 
What do you look for in a Boston Babydoll? 
I look for enthusiasm, dance skill, a sense of humor and creativity and a love of “The Golden Era of Burlesque,” which is a time which never really existed – but which we draw inspiration from.  A desire to be fabulous.  A willingness to make a commitment to the troupe.

 
What can people expect to see at your shows?
When you come and see The Boston Babydolls, you’re going to see a mix of burlesque striptease.  Nobody gets naked, just stripped down to pasties and panties.  There’s variety acts: magic, juggling, hula hoping, whatever weird and unusual skills we happen to have on tap that night.  You’ll see what I’d call ‘straight dance’:  tap,  Middle Eastern, tango... it could be anything.  You’ll also get a certain amount of broad comedy. We’re a classic burlesque troupe.

 
What’s the best thing about managing The Boston Babydolls?
It’s a terrific creative outlet.  I can’t speak for every burlesque troupe, but the people I work with are fabulous and the response from our audience is always enthusiastic.

 
Worst thing?
The same thing as managing any group of people – logistics.  Coordinating everyone’s schedules; making sure everyone is happy; dealing with unforeseen occurrences, like someone getting sick or a car breaking down.

 
Who is your audience?  
It’s funny.  We really run the range.  We get very very young people and we also get people who remember Scollay Square and burlesque in Boston as it was.  Most of our audience is late 20s, early 30s, professional, smart folks.  Burlesque isn’t just a girlie show.  It’s got a subtle sense of humor that you need to be a little smart to get.  And we get as many women as men.  Maybe more.

 
Biggest on stage flub so far?
Thankfully, we’ve had no major mistakes or disasters.  There’s the usual; every couple of shows, someone loses a pasty.  I mean, we don’t use staple guns to attach them.  So... maybe the audience gets a little bit more than they paid for, but that won’t bring the house down.  I introduced the wrong number once, the DJ has played the wrong music once or twice.

 
Not to play faves, but if you had to pick favorite routine?
My favorite routine is the one the audience responds best to.  We try to cater to our audiences’ special interests. For example, Betty Blaize has a number we call “Geeks Gone Wild,” that’s a wonderful updating of classic burlesque.  She comes out dressed in a flannel shirt, jeans, sneakers and a lap top.  She then sees something on the internet which drives her wild and starts this striptease.  Underneath the frumpy clothing, she is, of course, wearing fabulous underwear.  Her pasties are the shape of the logo of TUX, the penguin mascot of  computer programming language called Linux.  We did that number at an MIT party, and the audience went absolutely insane. 

 
Tell us about making the Guinness Book of World Records for tassels twirled?
We set a record, a hundred and twenty on 64 performers.  There were people who twirled tassels in places other than their breasts.  A good tassel twirler should be able to twirl tassels off her nipples, her navel, her crotch and butt cheeks.  Not all at once, of course!  But those are the places tassel twirling looks really attractive.

 
Dream prop you’d love to have?
There is one thing I’ve been looking for a long, long time – a clear plastic bathtub.  If anybody reading this knows how to make one or has one lying around….

 
What’s the best reception you’ve received so far?
It was one I wasn’t on stage for, as it turned out (laughs). We did a show at the Coolidge Corner Theater that was only for women.  It sold out in a heartbeat and the audience was incredible. At the top of the show, Miss Mina had everyone get up for a burlesque version of a 7th inning stretch and a two-minute lesson on how- to-do a bump, a grind and a shimmy.  Ann Corio, burlesque queen in Boston, did something similar back in the day.  Burlesque isn’t like ballet.  The audience doesn’t think of burlesquers as having years of training.  All of my dancers are really talented, but sometimes the audience thinks, “I can do that!” but they don’t.  I think Ann Corio wanted to show them they could do it!  It was the 1950s, pre-dawn of the sexual revolution.  Women had been to the work place and were home again.  They wanted to learn more about themselves and were becoming more sexual aggressive and burlesque, then and now, is a great way to be sexy without being sexual.

 
Are you in competition or cooperation with the other burlesque troupes in town?
There’s no competition. The styles that we do are very different.  Each of the troupes has their own look and feel. 

 
How can the audience get the most out of the show?
Let yourself go and enjoy.  Catcall, wolf whistle…. In many ways, The Boston Babydolls are accessible rock stars.  Do the whole fan thing, hang around afterward, get an autograph on a souvenir photo you bought.  And dress-up!  We say “We recreate a golden age of burlesque that never existed.”  Part of that is the elegance, not only of the dancers, but of the audience.  So, guys, wear a suit.  Ladies, wear your faux fur wrap and a string of pearls.   Drink a Manhattan or Cosmo instead of a beer.

 
What are your hobbies?
I’m a big fan of history of all ages.  I like Plimoth Plantation and Old Sturbridge Village.  I enjoy the small and not-so-small independent theater scene in Boston.  I volunteer over at the American Repertoire Theater, ushering and stuff.  I write.  I cook.

 
CD in your CD player?
Glen Miller’s In the Digital Mood, the original stuff dusted off and remastered.  The new Lyle Lovett CD, It’s not Big, it’s Large.   A band called ‘The Wages of Sin’ from Seattle.

 
Book on your night stand?
Comic books.   For actual book-books, some professional theater stuff, Theatrical Magic by John Pykka.  A travel guide to the Mayan Riviera (Mexico) and a generic mystery.

 
Food you can be seduced with?
Really good French food.  Cassoulet makes me weak in the knees. 

 
What’s your motto?
“90% of everything is just showing up.”  I get people who email me and want to be a Boston Babydoll.  I say, ‘Sure, let’s talk.’  And they never show up for the audition they scheduled!  And that’s a shame.  I don’t know what people are afraid of. 

 Find them online at bostonbabydolls.net. 

*Contact Scarlet Apron at scarletapron@yahoo.com with fetish news and events.

Interview with Desmond Ravenstone

By Scarlet Apron*
Author, educator, worship coordinator, kinkster: now there’s an eye-opening resume. Meet Desmond Ravenstone, one man devoted to making the word flesh and then giving it a good slap.  With his works, The Principled Libertine, a common sense guide to sexual deviance everyone can understand; Ravishment: The Dark Side of Erotic Fantasy, a manual on the mores and means behind consensual, non-consensual fantasy exploration, and A Kinkster’s Guide to Dealing with Law Enforcement, a must-read for anyone engaging in adult play, Ravenstone hopes to change the climate of prejudice against minority sexual practices, such as polyamory and BDSM, as well as empower practitioners. His mission, in part, is to untie the bonds that separate mind and body from one’s darkest, unthinkable desires.  A handsome, well-spoken poster boy for play rape, if ever there was one, we caught up with him in the basement of the Arlington Street Church in Boston. 

What was the Ravenstone household like growing up?
We were not very religious.  One parent was a disenchanted Protestant, the other was a disenchanted Jew, so I like to say my brother and I grew up “disenchanted.”  I eventually found my way into Unitarian Universalism.

Early inkling of kink?
I don’t really have a conscious memory about anything involving kink. I just sort of followed along, going through the motions, hoping that it would feel right and it didn’t quite. It was rather late in life when I hooked up with a woman for a summer romance and we started to do role playing. She broached the subject. That’s when the flood gates opened and it led to a transformation and the wider world of BDSM and polyamory.

What brought you to the concept of Ravishment?
I was looking for more information about it, but there wasn’t much, just bits and pieces all over the web and it wasn’t really discussed very thoroughly. So, I thought I’d try to put it together and explain it as best as I can, from my own perspective and from the perspective of many others. And that’s also why I use the word “ravishment.” That term was something that was just starting to emerge, and it really conveys more fully what this is about. It’s not just about consensually playing a scene about non-consent but about why it’s being done and how, the passion and the intensity.

What kind of heat do you take?
From within the (BDSM) community, it’s a lot like some gay and lesbian people’s criticism of the leather community: you’re too flamboyant. This will make us look bad. Ironically, people from the outside ask better questions about it. There are ways of conveying the most controversial topics in a way that outsiders can understand. Instead of worrying about whether something is a pubic relations problem, perhaps we should focus on how to communicate about what we do -in a way- that people can understand. One small way I do this is that I offer to show vanilla folks how to crack a single-tail. And when they do, and that flash comes in their eyes of: “Oh wow, I really did!” – the walls crumble after that.

Why are people so disturbed by this?
I think because we’ve been bombarded with the idea that sexuality is something so different and so separate from everything else in our lives that we have to handle it with kid gloves and when we start handling it with leather gloves and vampire gloves, you can’t separate your erotic self from your integral self. And if that integral part of you, that part that wants to explore desires that would be considered intense and shadowy, then that needs to be explored. Just as if somebody isn’t satisfied with only hotdogs and hamburgers and wants a more exotic fair, who is society to say you can’t go to a Thai restaurant?

What led to A Kinkster’s Guide?
I’ve been in situations where you can talk your way out of a police officer giving you a ticket, if you know how to handle yourself. To enforce the law, they have to do a lot of paper work and if you carry yourself off and behave in a respectful way and give the impression that they don’t have to do the paper work, then you reduce the chances that they’re going to arrest you.  They will probably let you off with a warning. That’s a skill that people need in this community until such time as we can change the laws to say that what we people do in privacy is none of their business. We’re not teaching people as well as we should around here. When I visited communities in Baltimore, Dallas and Maine to teach classes, I found that they were doing that – so why not here, too? 

What’s the premise behind The Principled Libertine?
That was a small book based on the radical question: if you treated sexual ethics, the same as other ethics, what would the conclusions be?   For example, when we think about business ethics, you don’t think of it as black and white and adhering to strict rules.  We do have rules, but there is flexibility in how we apply them. Much of society is caught a couple of steps behind when dealing with sexuality, especially when that sexuality is considered unconventional – what’s called “alternative sexuality” or “alt-sex”. And how then, do we rethink all the specific questions about BDSM and polyamory in such a way that they are more in line with how we think about ethics in every other field of life? It goes back to the idea that the erotic self is part and parcel with the whole self. It’s not something that we separate and put on a shelf someplace. That it is integral to our personality, to our identity, to what we do and feel. 

You’re a service top, what does that mean?
I like to think of it as the kinksters’ answer to (TV’s) Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island. You come to me with a particular desire; I work in terms of how to fulfill it. It is a style of being a top. I entered ravishment with the idea that the ravishees’ desire is the focus of the scene. I can also engage in dominance where there’s more focus on me being a mentor. I enjoy scenes that help someone bring their desires to fruition, and in the process, we both learn from that experience.

Who are your clients?
I’ve counseled people who are extremely liberal and radical to one couple who were Mormons. It goes all over the place, but there is one basic idea: that there’s an apprehension that comes from the paradox. You have a fantasy where there’s the appearance that there’s no consent, and yet you want to do this with assured consent. How do you balance the two? That’s the tricky part. I point out that not all fantasies emerge from the same center of desire, some are about the physical, others are about wanting to be desired so much that the other person loses all reason. There are many different themes and fantasies and exploring that is essential to making sure that the fantasy itself, when you act it out, is as close to fulfilling the desire and passion that you have. That demands a good connection with ones’ partner and with oneself. There have been times I’ve told a couple ‘I don’t think this is a good idea to act this out, you’re not at that stage’ or ‘I’m not sure, you still have to work that out.’ If you are going to work it out, it needs to be talked, felt and thought through, so that when it’s actually done, it’s done in the spirit where you don’t have to worry too much that you’re going to be hurt, you’ve done everything to minimize that.

How are you compensated for your counseling? 
If it's local, buy me a nice steak dinner. For workshops where I travel, I ask for transport expenses, lodging and a stipend - fairly flexible. I do a good deal over the phone or email, though, and those are simple Q & A.

Are people beating a path to your door to be ravished? 
It comes and goes, and I certainly don't say "yes" to every request. Folks hear about me from friends, online discussion, or my books. There are also online groups devoted to the topic, like RavNet.

After-the-thrashing comments?
It varies. Some have gotten it out of their system. For others, they’re hooked and need more. Others, it’s part of their repertoire. One thing I’ve learned from couples and ménages is that the process of negotiating, of asking questions, of exploring one another’s sexuality and desires is what they find invaluable. 

How and why did you come out at church?
For me, it was part of the process that I went formally to the staff and some leaders and said ‘I want you to think carefully about what you’re getting yourselves into by allowing me to be a member.’ The response was: We accept people as they are and we’ll come to that question when we come to it. It’s still an ongoing process, but for Kim Crawford Harvie, the senior minister here, knowing I’m kinky and polyamorous, to welcome me as worship coordinator, as someone who talks about transformation and growing this congregation, that sends a very positive signal to the alt-sex community that Yes! you can link your sexuality with your spirituality. It also sends a signal to the wider community asking:What is more important, if you are different sexually or whether you are caring and considerate and respectful, whether it’s vanilla or with a whip?

Biggest misconception behind polyamory?
That it’s just undisciplined libido. I have not met one person seriously into poly who just feels like they can wily nily have a fling with whomever. They are serious about their partners and what spirit they engage them in. Poly is about recognizing that love takes many forms, many ways of relating, rather than prescribe this one avenue that you have to have one person who is your sex partner/best friend/confident. It’s a matter of how do we find ways of relating that don’t burden one person and at the same time allowing the flexibility that maybe that’s good for some people. There is a great deal of discipline and care and thought and respect that goes in to it. People have to find what gives them bliss and joy and fulfillment, not through a cookie cutter program, but by asking challenging questions. That is the gift that polyamory, BDSM and the alt-sex community generally gives to spiritual communities like Arlington Street church and to the wider community.

Hobbies?
Big tea gourmet, I like blending my own tea, my personal blend is lavender scented, Yunnan based blend, so it’s a strong tea with an actual sweetness to it. I like restaurant hopping, trying out new places. I like to keep abreast of politics and current events.

You must know some good wrestling moves.
When you’re dealing with ravishment, you’re dealing with a great deal of spontaneity, not so much a particular move as keeping in mind your center of gravity and the other person’s center of gravity. When you do that, you can figure out on your feet how to gain the upper hand in a position and, at the same time, do so without breaking any bones or causing serious injury.

 Role models?  Heroes? Mentors?
Wow, where do I begin! Frederick Douglass, John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor. James Campbell, theologians James Nelson and Virginia Ramey Mollenkott. Robert Dante, Midori, Charles Moser. To some extent, David Brudnoy, even though I didn’t agree with much of his politics, he challenged everyone to think more. If I ran a radio talk show – boy, would I love that opportunity! – I’d run it the way he did, both welcoming and challenging.

CD in your CD player?
I love hopping around to Celtic music. It speaks to the blood, I’m part Scot and part Welsh.

Book on your nightstand?
I’ve been doing research into religion, so one of the books is Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman. And I am always looking for really good smut, high-quality erotica.

Food you can be seduced with?
Fresh fruit drizzled with dark chocolate. 

Learn more about Desmond Ravenstone at //www.myspace.com/desmond_ravenstone
*Contact Scarlet Apron with fetish news and events at scarletapron@yahoo.com

Interview with Cathie Jung

By Scarlet Apron
There are gasps, stares, some want to put their hands around it. For most folks, a waist is a beautiful thing to mind, especially if it’s cinched and molded, reduced to resemble the ultimate female form. Meet Cathie Jung, 70 year-old wife, mother and holder of the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records for smallest waist on a living person.  Jung’s middle measures a scant fifteen inches. That’s once around a coffee can.  As an outsider fashion celebrity and example of extreme physical conditioning, she continues to amaze the public with her surreal shape in appearances on the Tyra Banks show and the British Sun online. Here, we keep time with a real hourglass figure.

 
Vital stats?
I was born in New York City, New York. Mom raised me. Dad was in World War II. He died shortly after. I have one sister who is younger.

 
Anything in your background to indicate you’d grow-up to have the world’s smallest waist?
Absolutely not.  It was when I met my husband, Bob. We were both undergraduate science majors at Tufts University.  Bob was pre-med.  He was very interested in Victorian costuming.  There were movies out then in the 1950s, like Gone with the Wind and Carousel that depicted women wearing those kinds of outfits.

 
How did you see yourself fitting into your husband’s idea of a perfect figure?
I enjoyed it.  I didn’t have any negative feelings.  We married after graduation and have been married for almost fifty.  Back then, we even found a costume corset maker – almost unheard of – and I wore a corset under my wedding gown.

 
When did you start wearing corsets 24/7?
About fifteen years ago.  Bob, being a surgeon, was in training when our kids were little, so there wasn’t time or money to pursue it.  In the mid to late 60s, some people in England were corseting, but it wasn’t until the 80s that we picked up some corsets from a theater shop in Manhattan and had them altered.  Then, we traveled to England and Germany where we met normal, everyday people who wore corsets as a lifestyle.  It was a revelation.

 
What was the process for tightlacing, whereby you reduce your waist size?
Initially, I found it constricting to wear a corset because I’m very active with yard work.  And once your hip spring, which is the difference (in inches) between your hips and your waist, gets to be more than 15”, then it’s a totally different ballgame in terms of construction and design.  If you’re serious about corseting, you need to find someone who can make a comfortable one.  It’s a lot of trial and error.  My waist was about 25” naturally and I was relatively small through the rib cage.

 
What did your kids say?
The boys didn’t mind, however our daughter, the youngest, she’s very outspoken and athletic.  She was pretty negative, but she tolerates it.

 
How could you be sure you weren’t deforming yourself?
You need to do this very slowly and comfortably.  Since Bob is an orthopedic surgeon, he was very interested in the aspect of back protection and what happens to your ribs and organs.  We had a standard chest x-ray done.  He took subsequent shots, in and out of corsets, so we have those for comparison.  We were invited to do a T.V. show in Japan.  They really wanted to ascertain that I didn’t have any ribs removed, so they did a CAT scan and more x-rays. It shows everything is fine.

 
How did Guinness get involved?
They started pursuing us for their T.V. show.  It took a year because we negotiated for control on how I would be presented.  We wanted it to be tasteful and they had people on the show who were diving into bathtubs full of cockroaches (laughs).  We finally came to a certain agreement.  They spent the whole day taping at our house and downtown.  That’s how people found out about it.  We went to a restaurant to show I could eat normally and the local newspaper got wind of it.

 
Corset low down: how many and most unusual?
We have one, supposedly belonged to Ethel Granger.  She didn’t have lots of money, so it isn’t beautiful, to be sure.  She had the smallest waist in the world before she passed away.  It’s all relative.  She was 4’9” and weighed 100 pounds.  For her to have a 13” waist is no big deal.  I’m a standard, average size 5’6”, 135 pounds.  The numbers are meaningless, it’s the proportions.

 
If you unlace for awhile, will everything move back into place?
Not terribly.  Your ribs are obviously malleable; the lower ones get sort of shaped a bit.

 
Will you continue to maintain your extreme figure?
I would think so.  I probably wouldn’t have anything to wear if I didn't.  It feels very normal to me.  I would notice if I weren’t wearing it.

 
Hobbies?
We live right here on the Mystic River, so we boat and fish. 

 
CD in your CD player?
German marching music.

 
Little-known fact about you?
Dolly Parton and I have the same shoemaker.

 
Food you can be seduced with?
Soft-shell crab.

 
Why the waist?
I think it’s the overall look of the shape.  The current silhouette of square and straight for women certainly isn’t very appealing. A woman just doesn’t look like a woman like that.

 
*Contact Scarlet Apron with fetish news and events at scarletapron@yahoo.com

Interview with Miss Mina, Burlesque Entertainer

By Scarlet Apron*
Good Girl Gone BAWDY!!! would exclaim the fictitious newspaper headline for The Boston Babydolls’ founder and performer, Miss Mina.  Mina (real name withheld to protect the innocent) was hardly dragged by the knotted pearls from her proper preppie upbringing in Westport, CT into a life of dance hall thrills and ribald hi-jinx. Happily, and with much hard work, she shimmied together a popular troupe and opened a school on the same theme, Boston Academy for Burlesque Education (B.A.B.E.).  A cheerful, blue-eyed, strawberry-blonde swan with an art deco sparkle about her, we caught up with Boston’s first lady of bump’n’ grind for a few questions.

Any early signs you’d be teaching folks how to do the hootchie cootchie?
(Laughs) No, I’ve been performing for a very long time, but primarily as an actress.  I didn’t start dancing seriously until after college. 

What were you going to be when you grew up?
I like to say I’m an unemployed archaeologist.

First taste of burlesque?
I was taking belly dance lessons and my teacher held a private strip tease party for a couple of her students.  I had a lot of fun with it and I decided this was something I wanted to keep doing, so I developed a craft and I kept performing for private audiences.  Everything came together when Scratch, now The Boston Babydolls’ manager and producer, then he used to run the Black Key Club in Providence, asked me if I would teach strip tease to the BKC members at parties and then have the students perform. People loved it. It became a regular thing.

What brought The Boston Babydolls together?
While I was doing these private parties, the length of my performances were getting longer and it’s very hard for one person to do a long show.  There’s a lot of reset time in performing burlesque.  When I was asked to do a half-hour birthday party, I knew I couldn’t do it alone.  I called my friend Betty Blaize, who is a belly dancer and asked, “Could you do a number in the middle? And I’ll do a burlesque number on either side.”  We had a great time!  Scratch said that if I really wanted to keep doing this, we needed more people, we needed a troupe.  He decided to leave BKC and manage us full time. And that’s really how The Boston Babydolls were formed. 

Describe your style.
The Boston Babydolls have a particular aesthetic: We recreate a golden age of burlesque that never really existed.  Myself, I have a very aristocratic and aloof persona, “the ice princess.” I find that Lili St. Cyr was very burlesque, but very remote.  My other big influence is Marlene Dietrich.

How did the Boston Academy for Burlesque Education get launched? 
It’s an extension of the class I developed for BKC, How-to-Strip for Your Lover, but with a performance base.  It’s evolved over the years.  I’m happy with the current format of three hours where we teach basic burlesque moves like bump ’n’ grind and clothing removal -which is harder than you might think.  At the end, each student performs a simple routine which Betty and I created.

 Any first day of class jitters, any apple polishers?
We try to be very open about what we’re teaching.  It’s a class for women-only because it’s more comfortable that way.  There’s no nudity, but since some women aren’t that comfortable putting on their pasties, they can just stick them on top of their bras.  It’s not a stripping class, it’s a strip tease class. Everything we do should be classy.  The goal is to give the basics you’d need to do a burlesque routine on stage.  We have materials about choosing a persona and a name.  It’s all part of burlesque to be larger-than-life glamorous.

What does B.A.B.E.’s school motto mean?
Brevior saltare cum deformibus viris est vita.  “Life is too short to dance with ugly men.”  Scratch picked it when I was taking too long to compose an elegant motto in Latin.

Favorite part of the process?
I love teaching.  I’ve been teaching in one form or another, all sorts of subjects, for years.  I also love performing.  I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love being on stage.  One of the finest shows I’ve done was a women-only show at the Coolidge Corner Theater and it sold out!  There’s nothing like hearing a packed theater cheering you.  It’s very glamorous to be a Boston Babydoll.  I can’t think of any other job where I would get to have a closet full of evening gowns. Just love that!

Why do you think the burlesque revival continues to be popular?
There’s not enough glamour in our everyday life. American culture has become very casual. You can go to a very nice restaurant and see people in jeans.  Going to a burlesque show is a little like time travel. We get a lot of audience members dressed-up for a fancy night out that actually doesn’t cost that much. I think it’s selling that fantasy of an era that doesn’t exist anymore, where women wear updos and guys wear dinner jackets and everybody drinks champagne cocktails and martinis.  It provides something that’s lacking in the everyday and it’s a lot of fun. We’re not making any kind of statement. There’s no deeper meaning. We just have lovely women on stage, showing off their fancy costumes.  I think people look for that sort of escapism.

What’s up for the Great Boston Burlesque Exposition?
On Friday night, The Boston Babydolls will be performing in The Rhinestone Revue, along with the guest Legends -- we're very excited about that. During the day on Saturday and Sunday, some of the other ladies and I will be teaching classes: I'm doing one on costuming on the cheap, Betty has a choreography class; Scratch is teaching something on business, of course; and Dominique is teaching hooping. Honey and I will also be teaching some drop in classes. Saturday night I'm honored to be one of the judges for the Main Event.

Bit of burlesque history you’ve unearthed?
Boston was a great center for burlesque, places like the Old Howard and the Crawford House. We have a good relation with historians of old Scollay Square, like David Kruh who wrote Always Something Doing. I often refer to Betty Blaize as “our own Sally Keith.” She, Sally Keith, performed at the Crawford House and could twirl tassels on her chest and butt, like Betty can.

Burlesque day off, what do you do?
That is a lot of what I do. I sew clothes for myself. I embroider. I also have a passion for maritime history, whenever I can go sailing, I do.

What’s under the needle now?
A 1940s-style suit I’m making out of red shantung silk. A straight skirt and unlined jacket, excellent for travel.

Vital stats?
34- 26-36

What’s on your current play list?
Champagne Taste by Eartha Kitt and Blue Angel by Squirrel Nut Zippers. I also like The Wages of Sin, a band from Seattle. They do punk rock sea shanties and Appalachian death polka. Locally, I like Three Day Threshold.

Beauty secret for the rest of us?
Take good care of your skin, always wear a hat in the sun.  

What’s on your burlesque wish list?
A gorgeous bathtub. The closest I’ve gotten, so far, was a big bucket and a sponge.

Give me a weird archaeological fact that speaks to you.
The Roman mosaics at Piazza Amarina in Sicily show girls in bandeau bikinis working out.

Read any good books lately?
I just finished a new biography, The Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and Striptease Mystique by Kelly DiNardo.

Food you can be seduce with?
Truffles, especially Vosges’ Black Pearl, which is dark chocolate with ginger and wasabi.

For more information on the Boston Babydolls and B.A.B.E, go to BostonBabydolls.net.  
Check out the Great Boston Burlesque Exposition 2008 (www.burlesque-expo.com.) March 21st-23rd.

*Contact Scarlet Apron with burlesque news and events at scarletapron@yahoo.com or on
myspace.com/scarletapron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interview with Johnny of Midnight Seduction

By Scarlet Apron*
Do you think vampires are sexy? If so, then Midnight Seduction might just suck you in. Part party game, part theatrical orgy, Seduction is a thriving, adult enterprise that brings together an enticing array of characters: mortal, eternal and definitely lusty.  Fetish overtones combined with card-driven erotic tableaux spell out the evening’s adventures in this unique dice-less venue. One local enthusiast is Johnny (real name withheld). A strapping, affable blond with a business degree from MIT and a taste for bacchanal, Johnny recently joined the Midnight Seduction team. Together with his associate/girlfriend, Amberlynn, they host Seduction parties in the New England area. Here, he tells us how much fun the undead really have.

 
What can people expect when they show up?
The event is free. It’s totally non-commercial. Over 2000 people have played it, so far. It’s basically a party in a private home, that’s all. People are all dressed sexy in black and leather. You maybe have a drink, meet, mingle and throughout the evening, some people will choose to flirt and interact. So, you might see some bondage, some submission. We also have a casino for people who are cautious. They can just watch. There’s stuff for them to do as well, but by the end of the evening, everyone feels comfortable trying it out. People should just approach it as a regular party that has a theme of vampires and fetish.  We get about 50 people. Our target age is 18-29. The reason is that most people who are dating are in that range. I should also mention, since the purpose of the party is to make people feel comfortable, we do a bit of screening on the people who attend to see that they are intelligent, respectful and have a body type that’s appropriate to flirting and dating. 

 
Describe the game to someone unfamiliar with live-action role-playing
For one thing, there’s not a whole lot of role-playing to it. A lot of people are turned off by role-playing, but if they’re told to come dressed as James Bond or “Secret Spy Assistance,” they can do that. Or perhaps they just want to be someone for an evening, and that makes them feel a little more comfortable doing things they won’t normally do. Seduction is really meant for people who are curious about the fetish lifestyle. It’s probably the most comfortable way to learn because we keep the parties PG-rated. There’s no nudity. No sex. The culture of the game is to be as inviting, as possible. 

 
What's the back-story on Midnight Seduction? 
The game was created two years ago in Philadelphia by Anon.  It’s a way for people to get introduced to the fetish lifestyle. I think it’s hard to attend a party, see someone who looks cute, kneel down and call them “Sir.” The rules of Midnight Seduction “break” the ice.  Accepting and declining are part of those rules. 

 
Why vampires?
I think vampirism is the gateway drug to fetish.  If you think vampires are hot, you probably will think that fetish is hot.  Why is that? Because vampires are powerful predators. You think it’s sexy to be the victim of a vampire because there is someone who is powerful dominating you. Or maybe you think it’s sexy to be a vampire because you have superhuman strength, hidden abilities and you’re prowling throughout the night, fetish is like that. All you have to do is be a little more open-minded and your sexual opportunities and experiences can be five times what they’ve been, in the fetish community.

 
How did you get involved? 
I met Anon last year at the Fetish Fair Fleamarket ™.  I have a background in gaming and I’ve been doing lots of live-action, role-playing through the MIT and Brown University communities. I also founded a computer games company.  Midnight Seduction works really well on the psychological level. It gets people comfortable with seeing bondage and submissive role-playing. Then, when they’ve seen it, they want to try it out. I love to organize events and parties, so I said to Anon, I would do it in the Boston area. I’ve been officially invited on to the team.

 
What are some post-saturnalia comments?
People say, ‘Wow. I showed up. I was anxious but everyone was so friendly and respectable. I never felt pressured. I saw a lot of wild stuff going on. I even tried it out.  It’s always been a fantasy to meet people who wouldn’t laugh at me for thinking bondage was hot. I made friends, as well as play partners.’ We have tons of comments like that. It makes me feel great as a host to facilitate someone’s coming out.

 
Misconceptions about Midnight Seduction?
So far, I’ve advertised only in the fetish community. To a larger community, like the Phoenix readers, I’d say: This is not an Animal House-style fraternity beer bash.  It’s very important to us that everyone is made to feel respected. We do attract an intelligent crowd, they don’t get drunk immediately (laughs). They just want to have fun with it. They don’t take it too seriously. Also, this is not a swingers’ party. We’re not prudes, but to make people feel comfortable, you really have to promise them that they won’t see any nudity or sex. It helps to encourage people to attend. So, anyone who is looking for a wild swingers’ party, this is not that party, but this is definitely the gateway to that party. 

 
Most outrageous scene you’ve seen?
At the last party, a woman had a bar tied under her knees and she wanted a smoke, which is allowed outdoors, so four men picked her up and carried her to the back porch.  We also had three people who got into the cage together, I wasn’t expecting that. 

 
Best part of the job?
It’s a lot of fun.  I get to corrupt dozens of people.  What’s better than that?!

 
Worst part?
I’m too busy as a host to take part.

 
Tips for making the most of the experience?
The hardest thing to do is just to show up at the party.  People have anxiety about what will happen, but once they’re here, there’s a whole group geared towards making them feel comfortable and respected.  So, just be daring and give it a shot!

 
Character you’re most likely to be found seducing as?
Sex cult leader, dark and mysterious.

 
What outfit goes with that?
Tuxedo and top hat, sometimes a cape.

 
Hobbies?
I know a lot about happenings in New England.  I’ve been to a dozen haunted houses in the last two years. I have a LiveJournal blog on fun, strange, quirky things to do around town.   

 
Sound track to your life?
Marilyn Manson, The Doors, Nine Inch Nails, Portishead and anything I can dance to.

 
Books by your night stand?
“The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins; ”The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman and “The Year’s Best Science Fiction.”

 
Food you can be seduced with?
Chocolate-covered strawberries.

 
For more information on Midnight Seduction, visit Myspace. 

Check out Johnny’s event list at LiveJournal.

*Contact Scarlet Apron at scarletapron@yahoo.com with fetish news and events.

Interview with Danny Winters of Leather by Danny
By Scarlet Apron*

Danny Winters’ t-shirt isn’t kidding, “I do things you’re afraid to fantasize about.”  Leather smith, eponymous proprietor of Leather By Danny, sex civil liberties activist, bondage instructor and fetish event producer, he’s got a lot of notches on his belt. If idle hands are the devil’s playground, Danny is a saint. Here’s a page from his book.  

Who or what caught your leather interest?
I’d always done amateur theater.  I joined NERO (New England Roleplaying Organization) in my 20s.  It’s like Dungeons & Dragons in the woods, with no dice and foam swords.  I started making leather armor and scabbards because you couldn’t find any decent quality costumes that were affordable.  I was also aware of my interest in BDSM. 

When did you think, ‘Hey! I could do this for real’?
Everyone was buying the stuff at play parties, convincing me I could make another one for myself later.  Then I had a small table at the first Fetish Fair Fleamarket™.  I did “okay.”  The Grip Cuffs™ came out of the closet, so to speak.  People loved them.

What distinguishes an LBD gag retainer from, say, Wal-Mart’s version?
One thing that set me apart 15 years ago was that not many people had sewing machine stitching.  Most of the stuff out there was held together with a grommet and a buckle.  My products were of a much higher quality then what other people were able to make

High-end requests?
One lady brought in an old mink she wanted me to use to line a set of cuffs.

Why stick your neck out for sexual freedom?
I got involved with NELA (New England Leather Alliance) when I originally came into the scene.  I was closeted then.  Once I decided to be out--you can’t really not be out, if you’re a company that makes bondage gear--I realized that so many other people have a lot to risk and can’t actually speak up for themselves.  They’re at risk with kids, or they’ll be shunned… I don’t have those risks.  My boss can’t fire me.  He maybe an asshole (whisper: self employed) but he can’t fire me.  Part of it is giving back to the community.  The community is what’s made my business work.  I feel that my customers are as much my friends as they are my customers.  There are companies out there that are trying to make a killing from the community.  I’m trying to make a living.  My customers realize that.

You and NELA these days?
Up until two years ago, I was the outreach director.  My role was to keep in touch with all the local groups and help them with whatever they needed.  I was also NELA’s representative to NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom).  Currently, I’m a board member-at-large (for NELA) and what I’m involved with is helping run the Fetish Fair Fleamarket™ as a vendor liaison.  Basically, I make sure they know what they’re doing when they come in, take questions, settle any disputes between vendors.  Also helping with the layout, set-up and tear-down.   

Thoughts about the Flea in general?
The Fleamarket™ is really an activism project.  People come dressed in chinos and Polo shirts and realize -their boss, their neighbor, their minister, they’re also shopping. Then they are more likely to not feel shame themselves and when it comes time to vote, for whatever it is, they’ll vote their conscience, rather than their shame.  I’m not saying they have to be out, but who cares what they do in their bedroom?  Or is it the moral minority pushing their standards?

 Does your mother know what you’re doing?
Yes, I decided to tell myparents after a really close call.  Mom and dad stopped by one morning, right after a big play party.  I stashed everything. Cuffs! --in the closet! Bamm! Gags! --under the bed. Whoosh!   …and they’re looking around….  Mom’s reading the books on my shelf -no problem.  I look ahead; someone’s left a stack of Polariods.  Real hardcore stuff.  It was a sit-com moment. I had to do something, so I shouted, “Oh!! and LOOK OVER HERE!! at this new picture.” (laughs) 

About those bondage classes --what’s on the syllabus?
Safety and just getting couples comfortable with it, demystifying it.  Some times one member of the couple is interested and very willing and the other member is still exploring.  I’m the person to tell them it’s okay.  The other thing I do is teach unusual techniques, like using things that aren’t just rope, but like Saran wrap or how to make a piece of equipment using duct tape and plastic wrap.

Your motto?
It’s important to be comfortable while you’re being tormented.

Check out Danny’s wares at leatherbydanny

Contact Scarlet Apron with erotic news and events at scarletapron@yahoo.com